Posted on 09/05/2002 8:24:53 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay
NEW YORK—On Sept. 11, 2002, Americans will sort through emotions ranging from anger to grief, pain, and a profound sense of loss. But while the day will surely be difficult to endure, it remains unclear which television network will rise to the occasion, with its sensitive, cathartic anniversary coverage helping us decide what to feel while bringing a sense of closure to our national period of mourning.
Will it be a major network like CBS that heals us, salving our wounds with its around-the-clock, Dan Rather-hosted coverage? Or will it be a cable channel like CNN, its crack team of veteran telejournalists guiding us to a place of rebirth and renewal as only a 24-hour news network can? Or will it be a surprise young upstart like MTV, speaking to our hearts in a way foreign to its stodgier counterparts?
"When we're doing our jobs right, we're not merely reporting the news; we're helping viewers cope with the grief and pain in their lives," ABC News president David Westin said. "That is one of the central purposes of any newsgathering organization, and never will that be clearer than on Sept. 11."
"Now more than ever, we are a nation undivided," Fox News Channel senior producer Tom Bird said. "From the simple farm houses dotting the Iowa countryside to the condominium complexes of Los Angeles to the rustic cabins of Cape Cod, on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks, Americans will be huddled in front of their TV sets to assuage their grief and testify to their patriotism. And Fox News Channel will be right there with a shoulder to cry on."
All told, an estimated 800 hours of Sept. 11 retrospectives, memorials, and clips packages will air on more than 50 channels, including TNN, ESPN, and Oxygen. An estimated 200 million Americans are expected to tune in to at least some portion of the day's programming.
Diane Blauvelt, whose husband Nathan died in the attack on the Pentagon, said she looks forward to the all-day coverage.
It's been an incredibly hard year for me," Blauvelt said. "At times, I didn't think I could endure the grief. But I kept telling myself, 'Diane, just hang on until this coming Sept. 11, and the networks will make it all better.' That's the only thing that got me through."
Added Blauvelt: "I can't tell you how healing it will be to once again see that footage of the smoldering Pentagon where my Nathan died."
"We as a nation need to experience some sort of closure," said Marcy McGinnis, CBS senior vice-president of news coverage. "And no one needs that more than the people who lost loved ones on Sept. 11. They will never forget what happened, but they need to move on and feel whole again. They need the sort of tasteful tribute montage set to Bruce Springsteen's 'Empty Sky' that we've got planned at CBS." "How are we to memorialize an event of such unspeakably horrific proportions?" Fox News senior producer Jeff Kent asked. "How can we eulogize those whose deaths we can scarcely comprehend? Well, Fox is giving it a shot with the two-hour special The Day America Changed. I think you're going to like what you see."
In what may be the most touching display of caring, ABC News anchor Peter Jennings will host a question-and-answer session for children.
"Just imagine how confusing this all must be for the children," Westin said. "Thank goodness Peter will be there for them, from 3 to 4 p.m. EST."
Lawrence Crouch, a media-studies professor at Syracuse University, said the Sept. 11 anniversary coverage will stand as a shining example of the healing power of television.
"Will the answer to the nation's woes come in the form of a CNN special memorializing that tragic day? Or a Katie Couric interview with an emotional Rudy Giuliani, live from Ground Zero?" Crouch asked. "Are our hours of personal reflection better spent ruminating on the fate of those lost by watching an interview with a firefighter's widow, or by celebrating our living heroes with a rousing musical salute? It's a toss-up, but my money is on NBC's Concert For America. I understand they have Alan Jackson on board."
According to NBC News senior producer Alan Koslow, TV news plays a vital role in Americans' lives.
"In the past, someone like Walter Cronkite merely informed. But in this day and age, Tom [Brokaw] and his fellow news anchors do so much more," Koslow said. "They function as parent, friend, teacher, social worker, grief counselor, and spiritual advisor. That's a lot of pressure considering they also have ratings to think about."
"Some people ask how a bunch of network executives can decide whether America should continue to mourn or get back to regular life," Koslow continued. "Well, it's very complicated and involves a lot of research and data the average person would never understand."
One of those average people, Chicago-area homemaker Adrienne Coffey, said she knows exactly where she will be at 8:46 a.m. on Sept. 11.
"I want to share the day with others who are feeling what I'm feeling," Coffey said. "I'm going to be right there in front of the TV." *
*(The Onion uses invented names in all its stories, except in cases where public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental.)
..you mean like this?
Just another day in the year.
There has been no major mobilization, therefore there is no war.
No gear up in production no recall of old timers, nothing, so obviously no act of war occured on 11 Sept 2001.
Just a PR grab by the demos and news networks.
Satire!
We will attend a few quiet events throughout the day, as I continue full-time work for my employer.These events will be quiet and respectfull of our dead.They will not highlight the murderous ignorance of the guilty Islamic fanatics.They will be shown our attention soon enough in a way more appropriate. She will learn the "bad people" will never beat the "good people".I will teach her on this day, what I try to teach her every other day.
There is a difference between good and evil, and the choice is up to each individual as to which side of morality one chooses to be on.We will have flags, candles and prayers for the lost. I will teach her that rage is an appropriate responce to evil murderous actions by barbaric individuals and groups.
We will grieve for our dead countrymen and pray for justice. We will also be together, just in case our enemy attempts another heineous act.
She will not be told that Islamic murderous maniacs are peacefull.We will celebrate truth.And celebrate victory over ignorance.
At the end of the day, we will fire off a few fireworks.Blending the old song of "what so proudly we hailed" and the new anthem of "we'll put a boot up their ass, its the American way...".
We will include our soldiers, airmen and naval warriors in our prayers that night, as we have for a long time now.And we will continue to be proud citizens of the USA.
Yeah, it is really. Go back and look at The Onion's first post-9/11 issue, and tell me if that isn't satire of the highest order (though it isn't up everyone's alley). Within 2 weeks of the attacks, they pulled off a brilliant issue that poked at certain parts of the whole thing without making light of the actual tragedy. Headlines like:
"Hijackers Surprised To Find Themselves In Hell"
Or, in the TV Schedule listings, the show titled:
"Carson Daly In Way Over His Head"
showed a mastery of the art of satire.
Head to The Onion and look in their archives -volume 37, Sept. 26 issue.
Regards,
Snidely
The Onion has always had a bit more class than CNN.
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